The Government of Somalia, on Tuesday, asked people to return weapons looted. On Monday, large number of weapons that were being transported by government forces in central Somalia’s Galmudug state were looted by militia members and local residents in Abudwaq town. The stolen weapons had been smuggled from a neighboring country into Somalia. Security forces captured the smuggled arms.
Following the looting of weapons, the government of Somalia issued a statement. In the statement, it announced that while smuggled weapons were being transported, escorted by security forces, local militia members attacked the vehicles carrying weapons and took away weapons. The government of Somalia claims that the weapons that were stolen were brought into the country illegally. The government asked people to return the weapons.
Ali Bashi Abdullahi is deputy security chief of Galmudug province where the robbery took place. He said members of the Somali Intelligence and Security agencies, who were transporting the weapons, were attacked by militias operating in the area.
According to Ali Bashi, ten members of the Somali Security Service, including a senior officer, were killed in the attack and weapons that were being transported in two vehicles were stolen.
He added, “Although we have information indicating that the origin of the stolen weapons is from the Somali region of Ethiopia, we have not been able to confirm this yet.”
Kulmiye, a local radio station, reported that several AK 47 assault rifles, pistols, and ARPG weapons, which were being transported in two trucks, were purchased from Ethiopia. But the Ethiopian government has not yet said anything about these reports.
Footage shared on social media show militiamen carrying weapons in military ‘pick-up’ trucks and large numbers of local residents carrying new weapons wrapped in plastic.
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